
The building was going strong until a few years ago, when the roof beams
at one end started to sag and split and had to be propped up until they
could be repaired. Now the beams at the other end need attention. The
window frames are rotting, and as they are part of the structure, repairing
them is not an option. In the words of a report from a surveyor, it is ‘past
its use-by-date’. So the decision was taken to rebuild the church, after
consultation with those who hire it, neighbours and church members.
Planning permission was granted in January 2018.
What’s the plan? The new church will be quite a bit larger than the
present building, with a main hall seating about 100 people, five other
rooms, and a fully equipped kitchen. This will give extra space not only
for church events, but for local clubs, classes and private functions.
Already the church building is well used. We have a main Sunday
service, the monthly JOY Place service for adults with learning
disabilities (the only one of its kind in Oxford), and a monthly service for
a south Indian congregation. We have a playgroup, ‘Little Fishes’, and a
twice-monthly Coffee Club for older people supported by Age Concern.
There are also non-church events including choral singing, art and
upholstery classes, table tennis, Pilates and Egyptian dancing. We look
forward to being able to welcome more people and activities to the new
facilities, complementing the work of the Dean Court Community Centre.
The church has a hard court at the back, which will stay as it is, but with
a covered path next to it. The court is well used by the community,
including Botley Boys’ and Girls’ Football clubs who have used it for their
regular practice evenings. The floodlit court, once in a terrible state of
disrepair, was renovated, thanks to grants from various organisations, as
a multi-purpose games area for football and basketball.
The estimated cost for the new St Andrew’s is £720,000 – a lot of money,
but not a huge amount these days for a whole church. It will be energy-
efficient and disabled-friendly. So far (thanks to individuals and charitable
trusts) we have raised about £67,000. It is a good start, but there is a very
long way to go! We hope to start building within three years, with all the
needed finance raised.
We want to continue to be a truly neighbourhood church, catering for the
practical as well as spiritual needs of our growing community. We are
excited by the project and invite you to come and see the plans in the
church when it is in use. You can also find them on our website at
www.standrewsdeancourt.org.uk
From Clare Wenham